


The Candy Cane Christmas

by Aceofstars16



Category: The Silver Eye (Webcomic)
Genre: Christmas, F/M, Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-14
Updated: 2015-11-14
Packaged: 2018-05-01 12:48:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,601
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5206451
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aceofstars16/pseuds/Aceofstars16
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Enel discovers the magic of candy canes.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Candy Cane Christmas

A cool wind blew across the streets of Greenway as busy shoppers bustled to and fro, trying to get their Christmas shopping done before dark. There was an excited hum resounding throughout the town as well, anyone who stepped into the marketplace immediately felt the change and only a scrooge could resist the urge to smile. Kids laughed and chased each other around the plaza while parents quickly hid presents from any prying eyes. Even Marcus, who had only a small tolerance for kids couldn’t help but smile at the sight, that is until Enel raced off into the crowd, eager to join in the festivities.  
  
   “Enel wait!” the librarian called out but it was too late, the kid was already gone. With a sigh Marcus pushed his way through the crowd, trying to spot the familiar mop of orange hair in the swarm of people. It didn’t take long to find, seeing as Enel was the only kid in the whole country who seemed to have hair that orange. “Enel come on, we have shopping to do!” Marcus called out again, hoping that his voice would carry over the noise of the crowds.  
  
   Enel, who had just joined in a game of tag with some of the other kids stopped as he heard his adoptive father’s voice. “Aww man…I gotta go guys!” There was a chorus of disappointed voices, but they quickly dispersed as the other kids were swept up in their game of tag again. Trotting over to Marcus, Enel spoke up again, “Couldn’t I have kept playing while you shopped?”  
  
   “No, I need your help finding a good gift for Idony, you’ve known her longer than I have and I want to make sure I get her something useful,” Marcus said as he surveyed the array of stores and stalls that circled the plaza.  
  
   “Oh, you should get her a ring!” Enel said quickly, wiggling his eyebrows at Marcus meaningfully.  
  
   “No!”  
  
   “Why not? You like her? And she’s already like my mom!”  
  
   Marcus rolled his eyes, “Because….it’s…” he waved his hand as he tried to think of the right word, or most specifically a word that would stop Enel’s badgering. “…complicated, you wouldn’t understand, just trust me on this ok?”  
  
   “There isn’t anything complicated about it! You just buy a ring, get down on one knee and…” Enel started but was cut off by Marcus.  
  
   “Enel, drop it, ok? There are still some…issues that we need to work through, so just drop the ring idea and help me find something else ok?” The librarian said, then quickly spotted a woodworking shop and pointed to it, “Here, let’s go check out where they have there.”  
  
   Out of the corner of his eye Marcus saw Enel make a pouty face but he tried to ignore it as he walked towards the shop. There was an array of beautifully crafted wooden pieces spread out on different tables. The librarian picked up a few, admiring their handiwork, but always put them back down, they were pretty but Idony couldn’t see them and he wanted to give her something she could enjoy and use, not just a useless decoration. Looking behind him, Marcus saw Enel holding a curved piece of wood to his face, as if trying to give himself a mustache.  
  
   Putting down a carved swan he had been looking at Marcus walked over to Enel, “Well I don’t see anything that would work here, let’s try some place else…maybe I should just get her some candy or something…”  
  
   “Candy?!? Yes! Can I get some while we are there? Are you going to buy my present while we are out? Can you get me this wooden mustache? Or something that can help me grow a mustache?” With each question the redhead spoke even faster, which only proceeded in giving Marcus a headache.  
  
   “I already got your present, it’s under the tree remember? But if you stop talking I might get you a piece of candy or something, but only if you help me find a good gift for Idony…hey slow down!” Marcus called out after Enel who had abruptly put down the piece of wood and started running towards the candy store.  
  
    By the time Marcus had made it through the crowd and into the store Enel had already grabbed an assortment of candies, “Enel I said I’d buy you a piece of candy, not the whole store…put some of them back.”  
  
   “But Marcus I already grabbed them I can’t put them back now!” the redhead said, looking at his dad with puppy dog eyes.  
  
   “Fine,” Marcus said with a sigh then started browsing through the different varieties of candy. He looked back again and saw Enel reaching his hand in, about to grab another type of candy, “No more candy Enel, you already have enough!”  
  
   “Aww, but I really like this kind!”  
  
   “No buts! Now, what kind of candy does Idony like?” he asked, finding it odd that he had known the beautiful girl for many years and he didn’t even know her favorite candy.  
  
   “Umm…I don’t know…she always made sure there were plenty of candy canes around the orphanage though…I never understood that, they are such a strange looking candy, all curved and stripy…”  
  
   At that Marcus turned and stared at Enel, who was looking skeptically at a bucket of candy canes. “Have you even tried one?”  
  
   “No, and I don’t want to, they look weird!” Enel said, giving the bucket of candy canes a suspicious glance.  
  
   “The taste has nothing to do with how they look,” Marcus said, picking up one of the candy canes as he spoke.  
  
   “Yes is does! If it doesn’t look good then it doesn’t taste good!” Enel said, still eyeing the candy canes distrustfully.  
  
   “Tell you what, I’m going to buy this candy cane along with all of your other candy. If you don’t like it you don’t have to finish it, but you have to at least try it.”  
  
   “No, I don’t want to try it…”  
  
   “I won’t buy you the rest of that candy unless you do, candy canes really aren’t that bad, you really need to learn to try new things Enel…Now what do you say?” Marcus asked, holding out the striped candy in front of the redhead’s face.  
  
   “Fine…” the twelve year old said with a pouty face and hesitantly grabbed the candy cane before making his way to the checkout counter.  
  
   Marcus looked around once more and frowned, candy seemed like such a childish thing to buy Idony…he’d have to find something else. And with that thought he followed Enel to the cashier and paid for his son’s candy. As they walked out Enel started to unwrap one of his candies but Marus quickly spoke up. “Wait, you have to try the candy cane first.”  
  
   “What? Why?” Enel asked, looking at his unwrapped candy greedily.  
  
   “Because I don’t want you eating too much candy and I know you’ll put off trying it until last. Besides, the other candies are part of your Christmas present now, you’ll have to wait until Christmas to eat them.”  
  
   “But I already unwrapped this one!” Enel said, waving the blue candy around before looking at Marcus pleadingly.  
  
    “You can eat that one and the candy cane, but nothing else before Christmas,” Marcus said, hoping that answer would satisfy Enel and it seemed to do the trick as the redhead quickly popped the blue candy in his mouth and started crunching it, making the treat disappear much faster than if he had merely sucked on it.  
  
   “Can I have just one more piece?” Enel asked as he swallowed the last of his candy.  
  
   “Only the candy cane,” Marcus said then looked at the handful of treats in Enel’s hands, “And give me the rest of it so you don’t go sneaking another piece while I’m not looking.”  
  
   “Aww…” Enel said, looking at his stash of candy and reluctantly handing it over to his adoptive dad. Then he looked at the candy cane, frowning at its odd stripyness before hesitantly unwrapping it. He looked at Marcus and at the other candy, wishing he could have just one more piece of the kind he knew he liked, but one look at Marcus’ face and he knew that would be a lost cause. Making a face, Enel slowly stuck out his tongue and licked the stick, ready for the horrible taste he was sure would come. But what he tasted was something amazing! It was minty and slightly sweet, a delicious combination that was far better than any other combination of flavors he had ever tasted! He quickly stuck part of the candy cane into his mouth and started sucking on it. A cool sensation filled his mouth as he continued licking and sucking the treat which resulted in him smiling even more.  
  
   “I told you the shape didn’t affect the taste…”  
  
   Enel looked up to see Marcus smirking at him, “Ok, so it was better than I thought…can I get some more?”  
  
   At that Marcus laughed, one minute Enel said he hated candy canes and now he was begging for more, “I might buy you one more but you have to help me find something for Idony.”  
  
    “Ok!” Enel said then quickly bolted off in search of something that Idony would like.  
  
   Marcus was about to call after him but stopped himself, everyone here knew Enel, he would be fine for a few minutes on his own. Shaking his head at the redhead’s new enthusiasm for candy canes the mustached librarian continued browsing the stores for a gift that he could give Idony.  
  
   After browsing through the stores for a few more minutes Marcus walked into a clock store, the very one where he had bought his own stop-watch and started browsing around. Every once and a while he would look outside, hoping to spot Enel. At one point he saw the twelve year old playing tag again but then he disappeared into the crowd once more.  
  
   “Ah, Marcus Lanum, good to see you!” a voice piped up close by and the librarian quickly looked up to see the owner of the store.  
  
   “You to Theodore, say do you have anything that might work for someone who is blind?” Marcus asked as he put down a small clock that was in the shape of a mask. Masks always seemed to be in fashion ever since Velvare showed up.  
  
   “You trying to find a gift for the lovely Idony?” the clock smith said, giving Marcus a meaningful look.  
  
   At that Marcus felt his face going red but he tried to ignore it, “Yeah, and I wanted to get her something useful. I thought Enel might help me but….his idea wasn’t very practical.”  
  
    “I think I have just the thing!” Theodore said then walked over to a display table and picked up a clock. “This one here chimes every hour, and it counts out the time so even Idony will know what time it is.”  
  
   Marcus picked up the clock and nodded, “Sounds perfect! I’ll take it!”  
  
   After the clock had been wrapped up and placed in a bag the librarian made his way outside. Then he carefully made his way back to the candy store where he promptly bought twenty one candy canes. He placed all but one into his bag and then made his way back to the plaza, and called out for his son.  
  
   “Enel! Come on, time to go home!” his grey eyes searched the crowd and he soon saw the redhead making his way toward him.  
  
   “Hey Marcus! Guess what? I saw Mrs. St. Claire shopping and she invited us to the orphanage for Christmas!" The redhead said grinning as he tried to poke his head into the bag Marcus was carrying.  
  
   The librarian quickly lifted the bag up so Enel couldn't see what was in it, "That was nice of her..." he said though in all honesty he was a little apprehensive about being around all the orphans. He still didn't like kids that much, Enel being the exception, but going to the orphanage meant he'd get to see Idony which was a big plus for him.  
  
    "What's in the bag?" Enel asked, getting on his tiptoes as he tried to look in it again. Over the past few months the twelve year old had been growing a lot. Thankfully Marcus was still taller than him but if the growth spurts continued the redhead would soon outgrow almost everyone.  
  
   "Idony's present and a few...extra gifts," Marcus said as he switched the bag over to his other hand in an attempt to keep it away from Enel's prying eyes. "You'll have to wait until Christmas to see them though."  
  
   Enel's eyes grew even wider at those words and he looked even more curiously at the bag, then asked "What did you get for Idony?"  
  
   "A clock," Marcus said matter-o-factly.  
  
   The redhead looked away from the bag and stared at his dad, "A clock...really? That's so boring!!! A ring would have been soooo much better!" As he spoke Enel tossed his hands in the air dramatically.  
  
   Marcus opened his mouth and was about to reply when Enel caught sight of the candy cane in his hand.  
  
    "Is that for me?" The twelve year old asked, pointing to the striped candy and looking at the librarian hopefully.  
  
   Glad for the distraction from the comment about Idony's present Marcus nodded and handed Enel the candy. Then he watched in amusement as the kid tore open the wrapping and quickly stuck it in his mouth. "Come on, let's go home, I have some wrapping to do."  
  
   And with that the two of them made their way back home; Enel sucking on his peppermint treat and Marcus continually keeping the bag out of the curious redhead's reach.

  
  
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    The next week went by quickly. Days were filled with wrapping presents, putting up even more Christmas decorations around Marcus' house and the library, singing Christmas carols around the capital and various other activities. Every once and a while someone would randomly loose a candy cane or two, but no one paid much attention to it, after all it was the season of giving, misplacing one candy cane wasn't something to fuss over. And before everyone knew it Christmas was upon them.   
  
   As Enel woke up on Christmas morning he quickly jumped out of bed and raced downstairs a huge grin breaking out as he saw a few extra presents under the tree from Santa. Racing towards Marcus' room the redhead burst into the room excitedly, "Marcus! Wake up! It's Christmas! There are presents! Come on!!!!"  
  
    Marcus, who was used to sleeping in on Christmas Day looked up groggily, his normally combed hair in a tangle. "Ugh, wha?"  
  
   "IT'S CHRISTMAS!" Enel said, racing over to the bed and practically dragging his adoptive dad out of bed.  
  
   "Ok ok! Got it! Stop dragging me!" Marcus said, somehow managing to stuff his feet into his slippers before being lead into the living room by a very excited redhead.  
  
   As soon as they got there Enel grabbed the first present he saw and ripped it open. "It's....a book...." he said the disappointment obvious in his voice.  
  
    "Not just a book! This was one of my favorite books as a kid, 'A Cricket in Time Square.' It's a classic, I'm sure you'll love it!" Marcus said, quite shocked that Enel didn't seem to like getting a book for Christmas. Who didn't want a book as a gift?  
  
   "Oh...ok...thanks Marcus...Oh what's this one!" Enel said as he grabbed another present and opened it up, only to find a blue neckerchief inside. Staring at the gift he tried not to be disappointed, after all a neckerchief wasn't the worst thing, Marcus sure liked them.  
  
     But even as Enel tried to smile Marcus could tell his presents weren't quite as big of a hit as he had hopped. "Here, this one is from Santa," he said and handed the redhead a stripped bag.  
  
   At the sight of a new gift Enel perked up and quickly pulled out the paper out of the bag to reveal a stash of twenty candy canes. "CANDY CANES!!!!!" He yelled delightedly and hastily unwrapped one of the candies and stuck it in his mouth.  
  
   A smile grew on Marcus' face, glad that at least one of his presents had been a hit, that is until Enel spoke again.  
  
    "Santa knew just what I wanted!"  
  
   The librarian had to hold back a groan, why had he said the candy canes were from Santa? Oh well....now he knew his lesson better for next year.  
  
    A few hours later, after Marcus had opened a few presents from his adoptive son-which were mainly badly hand crafted gifts- the two of them left for the orphanage.  
  
   As soon as they stepped inside Enel rushed off to go see some of his old friends, leaving Marcus alone with Idony.  
  
    "Merry Christmas Marcus!" The blind girl said, smiling sweetly as him.  
  
   The librarian found himself staring at her for a second because, wow, she was beautiful! After a few moments he quickly responded realizing that he hadn't returned the greeting, "Merry Christmas to you too Idony, I got you a present." He reached out and carefully placed the box in her hand.  
  
   "Oh you shouldn't have Marcus," she said but smiled none-the-less, "Come on, everyone else is in the living room." And with that she grabbed his arm and led him to the large room in the center of the huge orphanage. Since she had lived in the building for a few years she knew the layout by now and didn't need any directions to find her way around.  
  
   Once they had made it into the room Idony sat down and carefully opened her present, running her hands over it in an attempt to feel what it was.  
  
    "It's a clock. It chimes out at every hour, counting out the hours so you know what time it is," Marcus said, watching carefully to see how she would react to it.  
  
   A smile lit up her face, "Oh that's perfect Marcus! Now I don't have to keep asking everyone what time it is. Thank you!" She said, carefully placing the clock down before giving him a hug.  
  
    Marcus smiled and hugged her back, trying to ignore the death glare Noah was giving him from the corner of the room. Just then a bell rang throughout the house.  
  
   "Now who could that be?" Savannah St. Claire said in a puzzled tone.  
  
    "I'll go check," Marcus said then got up and made his way back to the entrance room. He opened the door and was surprised to see Velvare standing in the doorway, a festive red and green mask covering his face.  
  
   The white haired steward of Gallitan smiled as he saw Marcus, "Merry Christmas Marcus. I heard you and Enel would be here," he said, his blue gaze looking around as he searched for the redhead.  
  
    "Merry Christmas it you too! Umm I'm assuming you want to see Enel? I think he ran off with some of the other kids..." Marcus started but was cut off by the sound of feet running up behind him.  
  
    "Velvare!"  
  
   Turning around the librarian saw Enel standing right behind him, looking curiously at the door.  
  
    "Hello Enel," Velvare said then stepped inside and handed the twelve year old a present, "I just wanted to drop by to give you this and say Merry Christmas."  
  
    "Ohh! A present?!?" Enel said, quickly grabbing the box and tearing into it. As he opened it a huge smile broke out on his face because the box was filled with candy canes. "Wow! This is even more than I got from Santa!!! Thanks Velvare!" he said, grinning as he picked up one of the treats. He was about to unwrap one when the white haired ruler spoke up.  
  
    "There is one condition you have to keep before you start eating them."  
  
   Enel looked at Velvare on confusion, "What condition?"  
  
    "You have to promise not to go around stealing everyone else's candy canes," Velvare said with a very serious look on his face.  
  
   At that Enel's eyes widened in shock, "I didn't...how did you?!?"  
  
   A chuckle escaped Velvare's mouth and he smiled at Enel, "I know more than you think Enel, now if you'll excuse me I have to get back to the capital. Merry Christmas." And with that he turned and walked back outside.  
  
   As he closed the door Marcus turned to Enel, a little annoyed that Velvare had out done him in the gift giving department, but he was even more shocked to hear the bit about Enel stealing candy canes. "You've been stealing candy canes?!?"  
  
   "Only one or two..." Enel said, still shocked that Velvare had known, "But I won't take any more I promise! I have enough to last a lifetime here!" He said, lifting up the box that Velvare had given him. And with that the redhead raced off again, not even giving Marcus a chance to answer.  
  
   The librarian watched him go, wondering how long those candy canes would actually last...he guessed only a few months, after all Enel seemed to adore them more than any other type of candy. At that thought Marcus chuckled to himself and headed back into the living room to enjoy the rest of Christmas with Idony and her family.

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this about a year ago, and as my style keeps developing it might be a slightly different style or feel than my newer works.


End file.
